


Catastrophic Jealousy

by bunappo



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Cats, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, older Eren, older armin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-20
Updated: 2014-07-20
Packaged: 2018-02-09 17:54:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1992270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunappo/pseuds/bunappo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Armin suggests that they get a pet. Eren agrees. When they do, Eren believes it to be one of the best ideas he's ever agreed to, judging from Armin's reaction. He expected good things to come from their new pet.<br/>What he didn't expect was that their little feline companion would be the cause of his soon to be inner turmoil.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Catastrophic Jealousy

**Author's Note:**

> A super duper late present for [bagelchan](http://bagelchan.tumblr.com) who is in love with these two and has drawn me into loving them, too. Hope you like it!!

Armin first brought it up when they were relaxing, watching a movie snuggled close together as they had always done every Saturday night. They were busy most other days with work, so both of them made certain that they had at least two days off together so they could still spend time with each other.

In the beginning, after arranging their schedule this way, Eren tried to take Armin out every day they had off, whether it was to walk around the shopping center or to spend time at a cafe or to watch a movie, he always took him somewhere, claiming they should "go out as much as they could" in what free time they had, as if it wasn't enough. Armin complied with his request, amused but touched all the more that he'd try so hard to do whatever they could together. In the end, the plan didn't work out very well since their budget couldn't handle going out two days every week, so they figured they could just spend most of their time in their small home, renting films and having movie marathons or cooking dinner together. Well, Eren was a disaster in the kitchen, so Armin did most of the cooking. Eren did try to help by washing vegetables and keeping Armin company, usually by snaking his arms around his waist and refusing to let go, which typically ended up with them waddling around the kitchen as Armin cooked. Armin didn't mind, and Eren was grateful.

They were both content with it, anyways, as long as they had each other's company, all was well.

This particular night, they were both pressed together on the couch. Armin was laid against the side cushion of the couch with Eren in his arms, his head against Armin's chest as they both had their eyes on the TV before them. Armin's fingers gently ran through Eren's neck length hair, making it stick out in all the wrong places(Armin thought it was charming. Eren didn't, but he let him have his fun anyways), and his other hand's fingers locked together with Eren's.

"Hey, Eren?" Armin's voice cut through the sound of the TV, his fingers still moving through Eren's hair.

"Hm?" Eren turned his head so that his chin was now on Armin's chest as he looked up at him. His hand moved to wrap around the middle of his back.

"Let's adopt a cat," Armin said, which caught Eren by surprise for a moment.

"Okay? Where did that come from?"

"Mm.. nowhere, really."

"Oh, I see how it is. Is my company not enough for you?"

"No, silly. I just figured it'd be nice to have a pet." Armin smiled down at him, which earned a grin from Eren in return.

"Then let's go tomorrow."

Sure, their budget couldn't handle weekly dates(especially the ones Eren insisted on going on), but it could certainly handle adopting a cat and taking care of it.

\---

The next day, they drove over to the nearest animal shelter to see what was up for adoption. Eren watched as Armin flitted about the whole section of cats, unsure of which to choose. Knowing how Armin was, Eren figured he would probably adopt all of the animals if he could. He was always incredibly fond of them and couldn't bear to see them treated poorly in any way. After about ten more minutes of waiting for Armin to pick, Eren thought maybe it was better if he chose instead.

"How about this one?" Eren pointed toward the only cat that had caught his eye. It had fluffy white fur, a tinted yellow face and tail, and blue eyes. It actually reminded him of Armin. He didn't know if that was what made him choose it in the first place, but that thought was better left unsaid. Armin would most likely figure it out later, anyways. He always did seem to find a way to discover the reasons behind why Eren did things.

"Aw, what a cute little ball of fluff," Armin said, eyes practically sparkling as he gazed at the cat. From one look at Armin, Eren knew that he had finally made his decision.

The adoption process took a little bit longer than they thought it would, but Armin insisted that it was worth it. They ended up naming it "Fluffy" despite Eren making sarcastic remarks about how it was _most definitely_ not generic and typical, to which Armin responded by hushing him and urging that "It's a nice name, okay."

The shelter sent them off after giving them the basic necessities needed to take care of the cat and also cat food that would last about a week or so. On the drive home, Armin didn't take his eyes off of the cat, and it really did feel good to see him smile like that, Eren thought. He was starting to believe this was one of the best ideas he's ever agreed to(other than the idea of moving in together or, well, getting together with Armin). He expected good things to come from their new pet.

What he _didn't_ expect was that their little feline companion would be the cause of his soon to be inner turmoil.

\---

Eren closed the front door behind him as he walked inside the house and headed down the hallway toward his and Armin's bedroom. He usually found him there sitting on the bed with a book in his hands or lying down on his stomach with his laptop in front of him, but he was nowhere to be found. He set his keys down on the dresser and was in the middle of taking his coat off when he heard giggles coming from the living room which he instantly recognized as Armin's. He finished hanging up his coat(didn't want to have Armin say something about him leaving it lying around again) and walked into the living room to find Armin laid across the couch with the cat on his chest.

"What's goin' on over here?" Eren had walked up to the couch and rested his arms on the side of the couch. He leaned over to look Armin in the face and was greeted with an exuberant grin.

"Just playing with Fluffy," Armin stated. The glasses perched atop his nose and the book on the coffee table suggested that he had tried to read, but he must've gotten distracted by the cat. Typical of Armin. "Watch what happens when I put my hands down," he said, excitement lighting up his bright blue eyes, which further obliged Eren to pay attention to him. Armin took his hands off of the cat and moved to place them on his chest, but the cat placed its head in between his hand and chest so that it could be pet yet again. Another giggle escaped Armin, and Eren smiled.

"Cute," he said, and reached over to smooth down some of its fur. When he did so, he noticed a bit of displeasure in the cat's expression, or maybe it was just his imagination. Probably the latter. It was too early for the cat to dislike him already. "Where's my welcome home kiss?"

"Right here." Armin said and sat up, the cat moving to his lap as he turned himself to peck at Eren's lips. "Welcome home."

 _Now_ he was pretty sure the malicious look that the cat was giving him wasn't imaginary. If he thought that the cat looked like Armin back when they first got it, he sure as heck thought differently now.

\---

Eren let out a sigh as he flipped through the channels of the TV. There wasn't anything worth watching at the moment. He had already made his third round through all of the channels, but nothing really grabbed his attention. He glanced at the clock and tried to busy his mind knowing that Armin was going to be home soon. He sat up to stretch out his back and spotted the cat in the entrance to the living room. Eren reached out to call for it the same way Armin usually did, by stretching his hand out and clicking his tongue a few times, but the cat only sat there and stared at him.

"Fine, stay on the cold ground, see if I care," Eren said, as if it would have any effect, but the cat still didn't budge. He narrowed his eyes to a squint at the cat, mocking the expression that it currently had on. It was the same disgruntled expression that the cat regarded him with whenever they were left alone. Eren thought that it was just being lazy and didn't want to move around, but as soon as the sound of the door unlocking hit their ears, the cat darted out of the living room and to the front door faster than he could even get off of the couch.

"Hey, Fluffy! Aw, did you miss me?" Armin tossed the keys onto the kitchen counter to pick the cat up and carry it. Its pink tongue flicked out and licked Armin's nose as reply, which made him laugh.

"Welcome home," Eren said as Armin walked past him with the cat in his arms. Armin tossed a "thanks" over his shoulder, and Eren huffed, almost sending a 'I'm watching you' look to the cat before stopping himself because he realized how foolish that would be. Him trying to intimidate a cat? Ridiculous. Why would he do that in the first place? He wasn't jealous of a cat. Of course not. Not even if the cat got Armin's attention first. "Not jealous at all," he said quietly as he pursed his lips into a pout and let out a sigh through his nose. "Definitely not."

\---

Okay, maybe he was jealous of a cat. Just a little bit, though. Eren would never admit this aloud, of course. Those type of thoughts were better left to himself. The best thing he could probably do to suppress said thoughts was to stare hard at the cat in Armin's lap and look dissatisfied, but he was conflicted. Eren felt obnoxious knowing that he was so easily jealous over something as petty as a cat getting more attention than him. He knew Armin liked cats, but to spend so much time with their cat made Eren's chest fill with an unwelcome feeling of deep green envy.

Eren leaned his back onto Armin's side to try and get his attention. When he turned his head, he still saw Armin playing with the cat. He furrowed his brows and pushed his lips into a thin line. When the cat hopped from Armin's lap to the side of the couch, Eren took the chance to lay his head down in the other's lap. His legs dangled off the side of the couch as he positioned himself to lie down on his back.

This time, Armin actually looked at him and his hand found its place in Eren's hair again, fingers running through and playing with the strands.

"Finally," Eren uttered quietly, looking back up at him. He felt his stomach swarm with relief, but it was barely enough at the moment.

"Hm? What'd you say?"

"It's nothing." But it really wasn't nothing. Despite getting what he wanted, Eren couldn't help but feel troubled that he actually couldn't handle having a cat because of such an insignificant reason such as jealousy. And even with knowing this, Eren's biggest worry was still whether Armin would remain more affectionate with the cat.

There was a small pause, leaving the two to their own thoughts for a little while. The cat had moved to the floor and was now grooming itself.

"Hey." Armin said, breaking the silence. He pushed Eren's fringe away from his face. "What's gotten you all upset again?"

"Upset? I'm not upset."

Armin knew better. "You're lying. Whenever you're upset, you get this little wrinkle between your brows." He gently poked the space between Eren's brows. "Tell me. You know how I feel when you keep things from me."

Eren stared up at him, hesitance making him silent. Eventually he let out a groan and gave in after seeing Armin's expectant gaze. He hid his eyes with his arm and let out a breath. "Ever since we got a cat, you've been spending more time with it than you do with me." _And I need more attention_. Eren didn't bother saying it aloud. He figured that the way he was acting was enough of a silent statement.

Armin's fingers didn't stop moving through Eren's hair when he let out a reflective hum. "That's what I thought it was."

"Wait, you knew?" Eren moved his arm off of his face. Wait, that was a dumb question. Of course he knew. _He always knows._

"Yeah. Was I not supposed to?" Armin acted as if it was obvious. "You think that I couldn't see those looks you sent to each other?" He chuckled. "Silly," he lightly poked Eren's cheek. He was then quiet for a small moment before he spoke up again.

"Sorry, Eren. I got a little carried away.. but you really had nothing to worry about. It's not like having a cat would make me love you any less, you know."

"..You're right." The relief was back again and it was as comforting than ever after hearing what Armin said. He always knew just what to tell him to make Eren feel better, and he was always genuine in his words. "I shouldn't have gotten upset. I'm sorry," Eren said and beamed up at him.

Armin smiled back. "It's okay. It's in your nature to get mad, anyway," he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eren asked, mock offense in his voice, which earned a laugh from Armin.

Eren's smile softened. Armin's laugh cutting through the quiet reminded him that it didn't matter who or what was making him laugh. Hearing it was enough. It was always so warm and full of life and it never ceased to make him smile.

"Armin," he called to him, getting his attention.

He reached his hand up to place in the back of Armin's neck and brought his face down until their lips met. It was lopsided and their lips didn't fit together like they usually did, but it was warm and tender and it was all Armin, and the taste of him was intoxicating in a way that made Eren's chest swarm with feeling so light that he smiled through the kiss.

When they pulled away, they didn't say anything. They didn't have to. As Armin resumed running his fingers through Eren's hair, they embraced the same comfortable silence they were often met with whenever they were together.

Eren had started to move up for another kiss when he felt the cat jump up onto his chest, its weight pushing down on him.

"Oof-- Hey, what gives?" Eren lifted himself up with his elbows, and the cat hung onto his shirt so that it stayed onto his chest.

Armin chuckled. "Looks like Fluffy wants some attention, too."

"What? No way. You've had your attention. Sorry, but it's my turn." Eren poked its forehead, and it let out an irritated mewl in response.

"Hey now, relax." Armin reached his other hand out to pet the cat. "I can give you both attention."

At this, the cat seemed satisfied and decided to settle down onto Eren's chest, its eyes closing.

"Wh-- don't sleep on me." Eren tried to pick the cat up, but it refused to move. After a while he simply sighed and gave in, lying back down and bringing his hand up to pet its back.

"You win this time," Eren murmured, but despite his seemingly annoyed tone, he cracked the tiniest of smiles when Armin let out another bout of laughter, bubbly and full of mirth.

Maybe he could get used to having the cat around after all.


End file.
